Coming Home
by horsejumper127
Summary: When the Doctor accidentally lands in 1995, Rose and Jackie get killed in a car accident, leaving eight-year-old Rose with no one to look after her. The Doctor takes on his biggest task yet: raising a child. Better than it sounds :) 9th Doctor for now, 10th Doctor eventually!
1. Prologue

I was eight years old when my nineteen year old self died. It was August 10, 1995, around noon, when my mom and I were walking to the grocery store. I was walking a few feet behind my mom because I didn't really feel like going to the store. We started crossing the road, and then everything happened really fast. This car turned the corner going way too fast and a woman appeared and tried to push my mom out of the way, but she didn't make it. The car knocked me down and it hurt my ankle. I was really scared and I heard a man yelling "Rose! Rose!" over and over, getting closer and then I heard footsteps run right past me, and I was confused. Couldn't he see me lying on the ground? Then he was crying over the woman who tried to save my mom. He was saying "Why did you do that, Rose?" between sobs. When he decided that she didn't make it, I saw him checking my mom. He soon turned away from her, too, and I couldn't help my scream of terror. I cried out, trying to crawl to her. The man came to me last.

"Rose?" he asked me. I nodded. "She didn't make it," he told me. I nodded again. He looked around like he was checking to see if anyone was watching, and then he picked me up. I was scared, but my mom's death made me not want to talk. He carried me for a long time, and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, we were in a weird looking room full of buttons and levers. The man kept carrying me until we were in a bright white room. He laid me down on a bed.

"Is this the hospital?" I asked him quietly. The man shook his head. He told me this was the TARDIS. I didn't ask any more questions, even though I had lots to ask. What is a TARDIS? Why did your friend try to save my mom? How did you know what my name is? Who are you?

_Who are you?_

**A/N: Here it is! If you've checked out my website (which you should, the link is on my profile), this idea has been floating around a little, and it's finally in words! It is supposed to sound choppy and immature, because eight year old Rose was writing it. Enjoy!**


	2. The TARDIS

When Rose roused from her sleep it was dark in her room, as if all the light had been sucked from the world. She blinked a few times and reached up to rub the sleep from her eyes. "_Where am I?" _she thought to herself, disoriented from her deep sleep. Blinking a few more times, she sat up and scanned the room for any light source she could find. She huffed in disapproval when her fumbling fingers found no switches or lamps.

"Lights low," a gentle voice spoke from the corner, but it still made Rose lurch in surprise.

The lights in the room blinked onto to a low setting, and Rose yawned. "Where am I?" she voiced quietly. The Doctor knelt down next to her. "This is my home… it's called the TARDIS," he said kindly, smiling frequently and trying to seem nonthreatening. He hadn't dealt with kids in such a long time.

"What's a tarnish?" Rose asked, her eyes lighting up with wonder. The Doctor smirked.

"No, it's a TARDIS. Time and relative dimension in space," he explained. Rose blinked a few times.

"Space?" she said quietly, a tone of wonderment entering her voice.

The Doctor paused, trying to decide how to best explain who he was to an eight year old.

"Well, Rose… you see, I like to travel—" he began.

"Oh, me too! This one time, mummy took me all the way to Liverpool…" Rose paused, finally grasping the magnitude of the situation. "Mummy…" she sniffled before tears began pouring down her face. "I want my mummy!"

The Doctor stood before her unblinking and unmoving. _I have a sobbing, orphaned eight-year-old on board my ship without the slightest hint as to who I am, _he suddenly realized, his internal monologue cursing at him. _I'm such a stupid ape! What am I supposed to do with her?! I can't just leave her on the streets of London, but I can't bloody well take care of her! I'm not daft enough to take a child through time and space… am I? Wait, am I?! Well… maybe we'll just see how it goes… _His inner monologue had escalated into a full blown conversation, and the Time Lord suddenly felt awkward, as if Rose could hear him. Her quiet sobs and her tiny, broken form slowly came back into focus. _I really should comfort her…_

"Rose?" the Doctor said quietly, sitting down beside her. She scooted away slightly and rubbed her puffy eyes. "No, please… talk to me," he said slightly desperately.

"Who are you?" she asked, the quiver in her voice signaling her fear.

"My name is the Doctor. I was friends with your mummy for a long time, and I even met you when you were just a little tot. Like I mentioned, I really like to travel… farther than you can even imagine…" he began.

"The Doctor? That's not a real name, you need to have a proper name… like mine! Rose Tyler, see that's a _real _name," Rose interrupted.

The Doctor scrunched his face. "Now, Rose… I've always been called the Doctor for longer than anyone on Earth has even been alive!"

"Nuh uuuuh, Shareen's gran is eighty five! _You're_ not eighty five!" she scoffed at him.

"Well, that's a story for a different time. But as I was saying, I've traveled farther than scientists believe exist. And I normally wouldn't ask this, but considering the circumstances, would you like to see some place new, Rose?"

"Yes!" she said, suddenly attentive.

"Where would you like to go? Anywhere you want, Rose, the world is at my command!" the Doctor said excitedly.

"I want to see… Paris! Can we go in the Eiffel Tower? Are there _really _pink poodles there?" she babbled quickly.

"I guess you'll just have to see for yourself! Come with me, Rose!" She popped out of bed and followed the Doctor into the TARDIS console room.

"Paris, France, 1995! Fantastic!" the Doctor exclaimed as the TARDIS whooshed familiarly and entered into the vortex.

**A/N: Sorry for the super long wait and rather short chapter. I have been extremely busy with school and homework and whatnot.**

**Update: A review from _Guest_ alerted me to a typo I made! The Doctor and Rose were in fact supposed to be traveling to Paris in 1995, not 1997. Sorry about that, it did seem like a random year to choose! **


	3. Silence in the Eiffel Tower

**A/N: Here's chapter 2! I hope you enjoy it :) **

The TARDIS landed abruptly, throwing both the Doctor and Rose to the grated floor.

"Oof!" Rose exclaimed as the wind was pushed from her lungs. "Can't you _drive_?" she huffed indignantly, rubbing her sore backside.

"Sorry," the Doctor said, extending a hand to help her up. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine I think. I'll just put a pillow on my bum next time we're going anywhere," she said. The Doctor smiled sadly. She was the same now as she would be as an adult.

"So are you ready to see Paris?" he asked, smiling once more.

"Yeah, let's go!" she exclaimed happily, running for the door.

"Ah-ah, not so fast, Rose. First a few rules to keep you safe," he said, snagging her by the arm.

"Rule number one, the most important one: don't wander off," he began before pausing. "And… well, that's it I suppose. Fantastic, we'll be off!"

Rose raced straight to the door and leapt out.

"Wow! We're _really_ in Paris!" she exclaimed, twirling around to take in a panoramic view.

"Huh… yeah we actually are. Thanks old girl," he muttered to himself, patting the TARDIS. Lately she'd had a bad habit of dropping them off in the wrong place.

"That's the Eiffel Tower!" Rose squealed, pointing frantically and twirling around.

"Yep, that's right! Are you ready to go see it?" the Doctor asked her, reaching for her hand.

Rose nodded, smiling up at her new friend. They set off walking toward the large monument.

oOo

As they reached the base of the Eiffel Tower, Rose could hardly contain her excitement. The Doctor bought their tickets and they boarded the lifts. As they made their way up to the top of the tower, the Doctor felt a chill and sensing that something was off, pulled Rose closer to his side.

A few minutes later, they reached the top platform and exited the lift. Rose bolted from the Doctor's side, immediately becoming lost in the crowd of people. His eyes flitted nervously through the heaps of people, looking for Rose's bobbing blonde hair. Eventually he decided to lean against the railing, hoping Rose would make her rounds and come back to him.

The Doctor's daydreaming was suddenly interrupted by the same chill that he experienced on the lift. He looked around him. There was no breeze that should have cooled him so suddenly; the sun was blaring down on him and the air was quite warm. It wasn't until he noticed the middle aged balding tourist standing just a few feet away from him that he began to understand, and his stomach dropped like a rock. The Doctor's eyes scanned down his body, coming to rest on the ground where two shadows panned out behind him. _Vashta Nerada, _he thought to himself sadly. At that moment, Rose reappeared, just a step away from crossing the man's shadows.

"ROSE! STOP!" the Doctor belted out, thoroughly startling the young girl and stopping her in her tracks. Immediately tears welled up in her eyes.

"Rose… Rose, listen to me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, but it's very important that you don't touch those shadows, okay? Come over here to me, but walk around that man, right there in front," he instructed calmly. Rose did as she was told, sniffling and still trying to hold back tears.

The Doctor blanched as he noticed that the shadows had spread to nearby tourists as well.

"We need to leave now," the Doctor said quietly, firmly taking Rose's hand and pulling her along. His eyes were trained on the ground.

"But we've only been here a few minutes!" Rose protested sadly, sniffling loudly.

"I'm sorry, but we _have_ to go," the Doctor said apologetically.

He picked up the pace and dared a brief glance behind him. The shadows were spreading at an alarming pace. _Just a few more steps…_ The lifts were in sight.

The Doctor managed to secure the last spots on the lift, letting out a sigh of relief. The lift lurched and they began slowly descending.

It wasn't until they were halfway down that the Doctor noticed it. Standing just an arm's length away was a young woman, flanked on either side by a shadow. The Doctor pulled Rose in front of him, shielding her with his body. He could only pray that they would make it to the ground in time.

Suddenly, the lift halted and the doors parted. The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and yanked her out, running beside her.

She tripped, tumbling to the ground and letting out a loud "oof." The Doctor stopped momentarily, but quickly noticed the shadow following behind them. He scooped Rose up in his arms, ignoring her noises of protest and took off at a sprint with her. He didn't stop until they reached the TARDIS.

He leapt into the TARDIS and slammed the door behind him before dropping Rose and passing out.

**A/N: Sorry for the lame attempt at action/suspense :P I've never really written anything like this before. **


	4. Learning to Trust

Rose watched in horror as her friend collapsed on the floor in a bloody heap.

"Doctor? Please wake up!" she cried, shaking his shoulder, ignoring the ever-growing puddle of blood around him.

The Doctor rolled over and a gold wisp of breath escaped from his lips. "Rose… get… away…" he managed to choke out, a pained grimace crossing his face as the puddle grew larger and flesh started to peel away from bone. Rose skittered away to the far wall of the TARDIS.

The Doctor let out one last cry before exploding into a fiery burst of light.

"DOCTOR!" Rose screamed in terror, shielding her eyes and letting out a sob. She pushed herself as far away from the horrifying scene before her as she could and curled into herself, sobbing uncontrollably. Her friend was dead and she was all alone. _So alone…_

"Rose?" an unfamiliar man's voice spoke to her gently. "Rose, it's okay," he cooed as his hand entered her line of sight. She pulled her face away from her knees and met his eyes. Her face fell instantly.

"Who are you?" she whimpered. "How do you know my name? What have you done with the Doctor?" she cried, trying to stand but slamming her head against the metal railing of the TARDIS in her haste. She let out a yelp of pain and her hands flew to her head.

"Rose, it's okay… I am the Doctor," he said calmly. "Now that was quite a bump, will let me check your head?" he asked as he reached out to take her into his arms.

"NO! NO, STAY AWAY FROM ME! HEEEEEELP!" she screamed loudly, kicking at the Doctor's outstretched hands. "HELP ME!"

The Doctor stood and took a few steps away from the screaming young girl.

"Rose, please let me explain, okay? It'll all be okay if you just let me talk to you."

Rose slowly quieted, her screams becoming whimpers until eventually she fell silent.

"Rose, I was dying. There were monsters called Vashta Nerada living in the shadow that was following us. They got on me and they were eating my flesh. If my regeneration had taken any longer, then I would have died for good. But you see I'm a Time Lord and I can cheat death by changing every cell in my body. I changed to save myself, but it's still me. I'm still the Doctor, and you can trust me. I know that I don't look the same, but in here, it's still me," the Doctor finished, patting his chest. A single drop of blood splashed onto the TARDIS floor.

"Oh, Rose, you're bleeding. Please let me fix up your head," he said gently, but didn't dare move towards her. He would wait for her to come to him.

Rose stood carefully and rubbed a few stray teardrops from her cheeks. She walked over to the Doctor and stopped only a foot away from him.

"Doctor?" she asked quietly.

"I'm here, Rose," he said as he reached out for her. She quickly closed the distance between them and leaned into his new body.

The Doctor scooped Rose into his arms and carried her to the med bay. The TARDIS helpfully rearranged her rooms and the Doctor got to the makeshift hospital on the first try.

Upon laying Rose down on the nearest bed, he grabbed a towel and a bowl which he filled with water. He sat his supplies on the table beside Rose's bed.

"Alright, Rose, let's sit up now," he instructed, helping her into an upright position and adjusting the pillow behind her back. He dipped the towel in the water and began rubbing at the gash adorning Rose's hairline.

Once the wound was thoroughly clean, the Doctor concluded that it required stitches. He sat down the towel and went to retrieve more supplies.

"Rose, can you be a brave girl for me?" the Doctor asked while filling a small syringe to numb her cut. "I think you'll need about four stitches. Now I promise this won't hurt a bit. Do you trust me?"

Rose shook her head and frowned. "I don't need stitches," she objected quietly, a lump forming in her throat.

"I'm sorry Rose, I'm so sorry," the Doctor said gently. He put down the syringe and sat on Rose's bed beside her. "But I promise, I'm great at stitches! I am a doctor after all!"

"No, you're _the _Doctor," she pointed out, glaring at him and crossing her arms. The Doctor sighed.

"Rose, this isn't optional. That's a nasty little gash you've got there, I need to close it up!" he said sternly.

Rose paused momentarily before grunting out a quiet "fine." She flopped back on the pillow and the Doctor got to work at once.

oOo

"See, I promised you it wouldn't be so bad," the Doctor grinned. Rose looked up at him with a pouty face.

"My head feels funny," she complained.

"Yeah, well… the numbness will wear off soon then it'll go back to feeling normal again," he said with a smile as he cleaned up in the med bay.

"Doctor?" Rose said quietly.

"Mmm?" the Doctor responded.

"How did you change your face?" Rose mumbled.

"How about we talk about it over a nice cuppa tea?"

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! Sorry for the awkward ending, I didn't want the entire explanation in this chapter. Oh, and check out my blog! The link is on my profile. Enjoy!**


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